Re “Reliable energy key to all America has achieved” (July 20): I was outraged to read the piece by Mike Wirth. He waxes nostalgic at the power of America’s energy dominance and how that made us a world power. He mentions technological innovation being of great importance. However, the newest innovations are in renewable energy, not fossil fuels, which he does not acknowledge at all. The continued burning of fossil fuels is killing our planet. The heat waves we now experience regularly would be impossible without extreme climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Thanks to the lobbying by Chevron and other fossil fuel companies, the current administration has cut all funding and permitting for renewable energy. They are dooming our standing as a dominant world power while other countries (e.g., China) are investing heavily into renewable energy. Wirth’s willful blindness and backward-looking arrogance are the true enemies of our future.
— Beth Friel, Encinitas